Public education on govt schemes still falling short

DNMUM422293 | 9/15/2018 | Author : Amit Srivastava | WC :457

DNA In-depth

The Maharashtra government has pushed its flagship Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) for the poor by offering incentives to doctors and other paramedical staff who treat patients in government-run hospitals. The decision is believed to provide healthcare to the needy.Under MJPJAY, the state grants up to Rs 1.5 lakh cashless facilities to below poverty line (BPL) families and above poverty line (APL) families. The scheme includes 971 types of surgeries and procedures. However, doctors and paramedical staff associated with the scheme said that there is a need to create more awareness about it. People from remote areas are not aware, and many of them come to know only when they are hospitalised.

Dr Siddesh Shetty, an MBBS and a postgraduation student in public heath at Tata Institute of Social Services (TISS) carried out a socio-economic study of beneficiaries under the MJPJAY at Sir J J Hospital in Byculla.He said that the scheme has not been able to bring the desired result. The study was carried out under the supervision of Dr Rewat Kaninde, medical officer at J J Hospital who also looks after MJPJAY. Dr Kaninde said around 105 patients were interviewed after they received treatment under the MJPJAY. In the study, Dr Shetty found that half of the beneficiaries under the scheme are unemployed and they did not have heath insurance. They were not even aware that the government had such schemes for the poor.The study revealed that around 43% beneficiaries under the MJPJAY had completed their higher secondary education but got to know about the scheme only when they were hospitalised. “Around 30 per cent cannot read and write, and 33 per cent patients have less than Rs one lakh as their annual household income,” said Dr Shetty. As per the data provided by Sir J J Hospital administration, in the two and half years, around 15,000 people got treatment under the MJPJAY in the hospital. “We are creating awareness among people and directly interacting with patients coming to the hospitals,” said Kaninde. In 2018, up till August, around 5,495 patients have already been treated under the scheme. Kaninde said there is a need to reach out to more people as majority of them do not have heath insurance and they spend a major chunk of their income on medical treatment.Dr Shetty said that they also analysed the problem area of the scheme. Though the scheme happens to be cashless, it does not cover out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) like in the OPD.

SCHEME DETAILSUnder MJPJAY, the state government grants up to Rs 1.5 lakh cashless facilities to BPL and APL families. The scheme includes 971 different types of surgeries and procedures

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